Battery packs like the iCruiser are handy for recharging mobile devices off-the-grid, but they soon run out of juice, which isn't ideal if you'll be away from mains power for an extended period of time. You could go solar with a device like the Waka Waka, but then there's the worry of getting enough rays. Another option may be on the way in the form of kraftwerk: a prototype fuel cell power pack for USB-powered devices that runs from gas canisters and promises to charge an iPhone up to 11 times before needing a refill.
Not affiliated with the band of the same name, kraftwerk rather refers to the term "power station" in German. Each unit weighs 200 g (7 oz) when full, measures 10 x 7.5 x 3 cm (3.94 x 2.95 x 1.18 in), and sports a single USB port for charging a mobile device.
It works as follows ... You take a gas canister, such as a butane cigarette lighter refill or those used in camping stoves, and top up the kraftwerk unit. Once its internal tank is full, eZelleron says that kraftwerk will charge an iPhone up to 11 times, which should presumably translate into a like number of recharges for other similar smartphones. It'll tell you when it needs more gas with a system of LEDs.
Though promoted as totally new tech by creators eZelleron, it looks to be pretty similar in function to the LSI charger we previously covered.
The device is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for production. As of writing, the cheapest pledge point remaining to hopefully get your hands on a kraftwerk is US$99, with a long estimated delivery time of February, 2016.
Though the images provided to the press (and used in this article) are renders, eZelleron claim to have several working prototypes of kraftwerk, and the Kickstarter video below shows it in use.
Sources: kraftwerk, Kickstarter
